Placoderms: A Class Of Armored Flies

California grizzlies had been around earth for centuries before humans invaded their territory. In the state of California, “some [California grizzlies] grew to a formidable height of 8 feet and weighed 2,000 pounds, according to a history of California written in 1898”, which made them targets for the various resources they could provide naturally (Staff). When miners came to California to harvest the gold, they began to see the grizzlies as a threat. In “less than 75 years after the discovery of gold… every grizzly in California had been tracked down and killed” making it extinct shortly after (Staff). Grizzlies in California were hunted and killed because they were seen as dangerous and hunters would harvest them for their resource of warm

1. Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish, and his colleagues travel to Ellesmere Island to look for and study the shift from fish living in water to creatures living on land (4). Fossils from 360 million years ago include amphibians and reptiles. Fossils 385 million years old, only fish are found. Because of this, Shubin and his colleagues look at the time in the middle of this, 375 million years ago (10). In 2004, they give it another try, after failed previous tries (21). What gradually emerges from the rocks they searched for in the bottom of the quarry is an “intermediate” right between fish and land animals, Tiktaalik, “large freshwater fish” (22-25).

It may be a New Year, but that doesn’t mean the winter is anywhere close to over. In fact, Ludlow, Kentucky could be facing some serious cold and snow in the next couple of weeks, and it always pays to be prepared. That’s why Ideal Supplies, your local hardware store, recommends that you stock up on your salt/calcium pellets now before it’s too late. You don’t want to be desperate for ice remover when there’s already ice on the ground.

The goldenrod gall fly (or Eurosta solidaginis) is a parasite whose life depends upon and revolves around the goldenrod plant. After mating, the female gall fly uses its ovipositor (structure used to inject eggs into a plant) to insert its eggs into the stem of a goldenrod plant. After about ten days, the fly larvae hatch and begin to eat the inside of the plant. The saliva of the larva contains a chemical that causes the plant to swell, creating what is known as a gall; this serves as a food source and a protective shell for the growing larva. When fall approaches, the larva digs an escape tunnel by which it will later exit the gall as an adult; however, the larva does not complete the tunnel, instead it leaves a thin membrane of plant material for protection (Abrahamson & Heinrich, n.d.). E. solidaginis larvae then pupate in late winter or early spring, and leave the gall as adults soon afterwards (Abrahamson, Sattler, McCrea, & Weis, 1989). Once freed from the gall,

processed rather than consumed whole. In front of the jaw, large protruding teeth were likely used to seize struggling prey as they were dragged ashore. This is supported by the retention of forelimbs and hindlimbs which is a basal trait of protocetids. Moving back in the jaw deeply rooted teeth with triangular edges are specialized for shearing.

They have 5 to 7 pairs of gills (leading to gill slits in rays and sharks and covered by operculum in chimaeras). Some have spiracles behind each eye (Skin surface openings leading to respiratory system).

Environmental conditions are sometimes appropriate for the evolution of numerous species from a common ancestor. Evolutionary, or adaptive, radiations happen when a large number of species descend from one lineage. This phenomenon usually occurs when a population of one species colonizes an area with many available ecological niches and when the rate of speciation is greater than the rate of extinction in a given area. Adaptive radiations have historically taken place after mass extinctions and on newly formed island archipelagos, because these incidences create conditions where new species can fill open ecological niches. Unlike the mainland, ecological niches are available on new island systems. These island species adapt to new environments

We began the experiment by dividing into pairs and selecting one mutation of flies. Claire and I started off with Vestigial Flies. We then got our supplies; three clean tubes, three caps, three sponges, fly nap and wand, dissecting microscope, paintbrush, and three small plastic plates (for separation). As a team, Claire began to tap the container containing the mutant flies (this way they stayed at the bottom), while I had my extra sponge and clean tub ready to stick on top of hers’. After counting down to three, she pulled the sponge on her fly container and I quickly placed the empty vial on top. I then flipped the vials upside down and proceeded to knock as many to the empty vial as I could. We did the exact same step as before, counted

The smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata (Latham 1794) species are a large batoid elasmobranch that prefers very specific habitats (Simpfendorfer et al., 2010). They are also a K-selected species, which means that the smalltooth have a late maturity, a small pup size and a slow growth rate (Seitz & Poulakis, 2006). The smalltooth sawfish species can be identified from the undefined or undeveloped lower caudal fin (Gómez-Rodríguez et al., 2014). Another identifier is the first dorsal fin is in line with the beginning of the pelvic fin (Gómez-Rodríguez et al., 2014). Unlike the other sawfish, the P. pectinata have about 20 to 34 rostral teeth on the saw, which is more than most species (Gómez-Rodríguez et al., 2014).

In modern popular culture, Dunkleosteus is by far the best known and most often represented of the early placoderm carnivores. However Dunkleosteus actually sat within the Dinichthys genus for a long time as the species Dinichthys terrelli. It was not until the large numbers of Dinichthys remains were re-studied that it was realised that a large number of the Dinichthys fossils actually represented different genera, not species. The result was that many of these remains were split to form new genera including the creation of Dunkleosteus. In a further twist however, the species that was split to form Dunkleosteus, D. terrelli, was actually the remains most often used when reconstructing Dinichthys.

A neotenic salamander, its most notable physical feature is its gills, which protrude from the back of its wide head and remain there throughout

From the beginning of human existence we have been savage. Over the years we have been able to control is in a more civilized way, but humans still have the urge to kill, the urge for power. In the novel “Lord of the Flies” Golding represents the savagery and selfishness in each human being through characters and various symbols, whether they are stranded on an isolated island or living in the largest city. Under the cover of each human being is the originality, where everyone is savage.

we said goodbye and placed them in the fly morgue. We allowed the F2 larval

Fruit Flies were observed throughout most of the experiment. Observing the sex differences between male and female under the microscope help identify the phenotypes as well. For example, it was possible to see if the fruit flies were female or male wildtype, vestigial, white-eye and white eye vestigial. The observations to distinguish female or male fruit flies is that males fruit flies have sex combs on front of their legs. Another observation that can be distinguish between male and female fruit flies is that males have a darker ventral posterior section in the abdomen. Female fruit flies is just plain nothing showing. And lastly, another observation that is used to distinguished between male and females fruit flies is the size. It is considered

They nurse without any nipples, nursing happens through glands in the skin and the babies just suck on the mothers skin. Platypuses also have no stomach. Males have venomous spurs. The last fact and what I find very interesting the they have retractable webbing